Shoe of the Week: Purple Thigh Highs

2016 was all about the sock-style ankle boot. But on Balenciaga’s SS 2017 runway, the trend catapulted to a whole new level.

For his second collection at Balenciaga, Vetements’ Demna Gvasalia made shoes the star of the show as he sent models down the runway in brightly colored, skin-tight spandex boots. And what made the slick shoes so intriguing was that they ran so high up the leg you couldn’t tell if they were pants, leggings, boots, or a combination of all three.

Now although we’ve been seeing these statement shoes all over magazine editorials, the fast fashion industry hasn’t followed suit quite yet. But we promise that these optical illusion thigh-highs will become the next “it” shoe of 2017, and our favorite affordable retailers will soon be releasing their version of the trend. But if you want to be a step ahead of the crowd, we suggest you cop a pair of Balenciaga-worthy bright thigh highs. Think rich purples, neon greens, and sky blues.

The trick to making these fashionable and chic is to pair them with mid-length hemlines that cover the top of the boot. This creates that same boot-meets-pants effect. And if you want to follow in Balenciaga’s lead, pair ’em with an oversized jacket or slick rain parka.